Pav Bhaji Samosa Pies with Bee Tree Farm Raita
Indian and Texan flavors play well in this shareable dish topped with creamy, goat skyr-based raita. Ferment tomatoes for the pie filling ahead of time—you’ll use the juice to make the pie dough. You’ll need a 1-gallon ceramic crock for this recipe.
Ingredients
FERMENTED TOMATOES
- 3 to 5 pounds tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons salt
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons wine yeast available at most brew shops
- ½ cup edible flowers such as basil flowers or arugula blossoms
HABANERO CHILI OIL
- 3 pounds habanero peppers
- ½ tablespoon wine yeast
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- ½ pound honeycomb
- ½ tablespoon ground cardamom
- 3 cups olive oil
- ⅓ cup purple basil
RAITA
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 bunch mint dill, or other seasonal herb
- 10 curry leaves
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 2 cups goat’s milk skyr
- ¼ cup fresh goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon chili oil
PIE DOUGH
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour
- Pinch salt
- ½ tablespoon wine yeast
- ¼ cup ghee room temperature
- 2 tablespoons juice from fermented tomatoes
PIE FILLING
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 red onions thinly sliced
- 1 pound carrots roughly chopped
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon peeled and diced fresh turmeric
- ⅓ cup garlic chives roughly chopped
- 2 pounds diced potatoes
- 2 tablespoons Habanero Chili Oil
- 3 to 4 fermented tomatoes
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- ►FERMENTED TOMATOES: Rinse tomatoes and add to ceramic crock. Add salt, water, wine yeast, and edible flowers. Cover crock with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
- ►The next morning, the plastic should have formed a dome and tomatoes should smell like bread. Transfer to a lidded glass storage container and place in the refrigerator.
- ►HABANERO CHILI OIL: The day before you want to serve this recipe, wash habaneros and mix with wine yeast and 1 tablespoon salt in a ceramic crock. Cover crock with plastic wrap and set aside somewhere warm overnight.
- ►The next day, chop habaneros and honeycomb and mix with cardamom. Add remaining salt.
- ►Heat oven to 325°F. Add habanero mixture, olive oil, and basil to a cast-iron skillet. Place skillet in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, rest until cool to touch, then transfer to a glass bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.
- ►RAITA: Roughly chop cucumbers and herbs. Add curry leaves, salt, mustard seed, and chili oil. Mix well and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- ►Add skyr and goat cheese and let sit for 1 additional hour in the refrigerator. Garnish with more chili oil.
- ►PIE DOUGH: Add dry ingredients to a large bowl, then add ghee. Mix ingredients using your hands. Once dough is crumbly, make a well and add ½ tablespoon water at a time until dough forms into a smooth, elastic ball, about 5 to 15 minutes. (Kneading time will vary depending on temperature that day.) Cover and set aside to rest.
- ►Check dough after 1 to 2 hours, depending on how hot the day is. (Proof time is based on temperature, so the hotter the day, the less time needed.) Once it has doubled in size, punch dough down and set aside until you’re ready to bake.
- ►PIE FILLING: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add ghee and onions and cook until translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add carrots, spices, chives, salt, and chili oil. Cover and cook until carrots are soft, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another 15 minutes until tender. Set aside.
- ►TO ASSEMBLE: Heat oven to 400°F. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out each section into a large oval. Add enough filling to each section so you can comfortably fold each side over (it should look like a very long kolache). Brush with ghee and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. It will rise in the oven and should be a bit flaky. Cut into sections and serve with raita and chili oil.
